Metro Transit to increase winter officer presence

📌 Key Facts

Metro Transit will begin deploying uniformed personnel to patrol nearly every light-rail route starting this weekend.
The patrols will include a mix of agency police, community service officers, transit ambassadors and contract security.
The deployment increases visible security presence on light-rail trains for the winter period.
Officials said serious crime on the system is down overall.
Officials said minor offenses — including drug use and vandalism — have remained steady and are driving safety concerns reported in rider surveys.

X users frequently share firsthand accounts of open drug use and overdoses at Metro Transit stations, emphasizing how these incidents create an unsafe and unpredictable environment for daily commuters, which mainstream reports downplay by focusing on aggregated crime statistics.
Posts on X highlight persistent issues with station cleanliness, such as urine puddles, burnt foil from drug use, and trash, arguing that these quality-of-life problems deter riders more than serious crimes, a detail often overlooked in official announcements.
Many X users express frustration with vandalism like broken glass in bus shelters and disruptive behaviors on trains, including people swearing and acting erratically, pointing to a broader sense of disorder that official surveys on safety concerns do not fully capture.
Some X posts criticize local leadership and Metro Transit for allowing light-rail stations to become hotspots for drug dealing and homelessness, suggesting that the winter security increase is a reactive measure rather than a comprehensive solution, which is not addressed in mainstream coverage.
X discussions include rider anecdotes from families and parents who avoid light-rail due to encounters with aggressive individuals and poor lighting at night, highlighting demographic concerns like family safety that are absent from the general rider surveys mentioned in news articles.

Based on 2 sources

FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul by Nick.Longworth@fox.com (Nick Longworth) November 13, 2025

New information:

Metro Transit says uniformed personnel will patrol nearly every light‑rail route starting this weekend.
Clarifies personnel mix: agency police, community service officers, transit ambassadors, and contract security will be deployed.
Officials reiterated serious crime is down but minor offenses like drug use and vandalism have remained steady, fueling safety concerns in rider surveys.

Twin Cities by Talia McWright November 13, 2025